Mecklenburg County health workers discovered screening issues in mid-December

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Public health workers first discovered issues with the Mecklenburg County cervical-screening program more than two months before officials revealed they failed to notify 185 women of abnormal results in a timely fashion.

County Manager Dena Diorio shared the information in response to questions from Channel 9 and media outlets Thursday.

Diorio said public health clinic workers discovered the problems Dec. 12.

"However, the public health director and county manager were not informed until Jan. 4," Diorio said Thursday.

The news first became public at a Mecklenburg County Commission meeting Tuesday.

It was not listed on the agenda.

Instead, Diorio chose to share the information during her manager's report.

"The item was part of the manager's report, which does not require advance notice," Diorio said. "It has been done this way many times."

Since the issue was not on the agenda, many media outlets were caught off-guard.

Diorio announced during the meeting that a nurse with the Health Department who is responsible for notifying women about abnormal Pap smear results had not been doing so from May through December of last year.

There were 110 patients who needed a repeat test within a year, and 75 who needed a referral for a colposcopy, a special test that looks for signs of disease, including cancer.

Diorio said that so far, all 110 women who need a repeat test have been notified, and of the 75 who need a colposcopy, 55 have been scheduled for the procedure.

Some are not happy it took so long for the information to become public.

"I don't think this has been handled from a public relations perspective anywhere near the right way,"  Commissioner Jim Puckett, R-Mecklenburg County, said Thursday.

Channel 9 asked Diorio was there was a delay in the information becoming public. The issue was previously discussed during closed Board of Commissioners meetings.

"There was no delay in making it public. Because it was a personnel matter, the item was discussed with the board during closed sessions on Jan. 10 and on Feb. 7," Diorio said.

Channel 9 sent additional questions seeking clarification of that statement.

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